[TR] I give up

[Randall]

> Forget the ammeter and get yourself a nice Smiths voltmeter. 
> It gives you better information about the health of your 
> electrical system.

As usual, I disagree.  Voltmeters and ammeters give complementary
information; but IMO an ammeter gives more of it, and more of what you want
to know.  

For example, you start the engine and wait for the voltmeter to rise, but it
only comes to somewhere between 12 and 13 (Smiths voltmeters can't be read
any more accurately than that).  Does that mean the generator is bad?  Rev
the engine briefly and the voltmeter doesn't move.  Now do you know the
generator is bad?  The answer is no, you don't know.  An ammeter would have
told you instantly, no need to wait for it.

Ok, now the voltmeter rises to somewhere between 13 and 14.  Is the battery
fully charged yet?  Dunno ...

Come to a stoplight, voltmeter still reads somewhere between 13 and 14.  Is
the generator keeping up with the load?  Dunno that either.

The main advantage of a voltmeter is low cost, and not having all the
current go through it (so smaller wires, etc.).

BTW, an ammeter will also tell you things like whether you left the lights
on and whether your brake lights are working.  I can even see the kick when
the OD solenoid kicks in.

Randall